 His defection as well as his statement that he is a ""Croat and I cannot and will not fire upon my Croatia"" proved to be a significant moral boost for the Croatian forces.On 2 May 1995, while providing close air support to the Croatian Army during Operation Flash he was shot down over Stara Gradiška by anti-aircraft artillery from the Serb Krajina forces.His remains were not recovered and returned until 4 August 1997.